Imperialism in East Asia: China & Japan

- 1800s-1912 -

Outline

• How were China and Japan each impacted by imperialism? How did imperialism lead both to develop nationalist movements?

• How did both modernize in the late 19th/early 20th centuries?

SWBAT:

• Compare imperialism in China/Japan with imperialism in Africa/India

• Evaluate the decisions of the Chinese emperor during the Opium War

• Identify how China resisted European imperialism

• Identify how Japan was able to successfully modernize rather than be victimized by imperialism

• Explain how Japan was influenced by Western ideas

China

• Qing Dynasty

• Opium War

• Taiping Rebellion

• European Imperialism in China: Spheres of Influence

• Boxer Rebellion

• 1911 Revolution against Qing- Sun Yat-sen

• The Republic of China

TOPIC QUESTIONS

• What was the Qing Dynasty?

• How was imperialism in China different than in Africa/India? How was it similar?

• What led to the Opium War? What were its consequences?

• What did the Taiping Rebellion demonstrate about the Qing Dynasty?

• What were spheres of influence? What countries had them in China?

• What motivated the Boxer Rebellion? What was its importance?

• What were the three principles of Sun Yat-sen’s political vision for China?

• What led to the 1911 revolution? How did China’s government change as a result?

Japan

• Commodore Perry/The Black Ships

• Meiji Restoration/Meiji Constitution

• Japan’s Rise as a Great Power

• 1st Sino-Japanese War

• Russo-Japanese War

TOPIC QUESTIONS

• How was imperialism in Japan different from imperialism in Africa/India? How was it similar?

• How did Commodore Perry force Japan to be open for trade? What were the effects on Japan?

• How did the Meiji government take power in Japan?

• How did the Meiji government modernize Japan economically, militarily, and politically?

• How did the Meiji constitution show the influence of Western ideas?

• How did the Meiji government demonstrate its military strength in the 1 st Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War?

China

Notes 2/24

• (DQ) How do you think imperialism in China will be similar to/different from Africa and India?

  • Open-door policy

  • China has a lot of resources - pull factor for other countries to take/trade

  • China had a larger population than India, was more unified (harder to take land)- Europeans tried to take away trading cities and sell Euro goods

Qing Dynasty

• China had history of ruling family dynasties over 2000 years—each had emperors

  • Qin, Han, Sui, Tang, Song, Ming…

  • Since 2600 BCE

• Qing—last dynasty

  • 1644-1912

Euro Imperialism in China

Euro imperialism + dissatisfaction with Qing Dynasty → development of Modern China

• “Modern China” = end of rule by emperors, adoption of ideas of Western democracy and nationalism

China Self-Sufficient under Qing

• During 1600s-1700s, China largely self-sufficient

  • Strong agro supported pop

  • Mining and manufacturing industries

    • Salt, tin, iron, silk, cotton, porcelain

  • Little interest in trading with Europe

  • European trade restricted to single city of Guangzhou

Chinese Decision on Opium Trade

• From the point-of-view of the emperor, what are the main problems you are facing?

  • Silver was decreasing, while value of copper coins decreased, led to inflation

  • People were using too much opium, led to addiction, listlessness, etc.

    • Can’t work

  • B/c opium was illegal, it justified people to do other illegal activities

    • Higher crime, stealing, money laundering, bribing, etc.

    • Gov’t officials were corrupt b/c they were being bribed

  • People from every class could be/were addicted to it

• What factors make it challenging to solve these problems?

• Which are the best decisions and why?

  • C. Enforce prohibition more strictly by arresting Chinese opium traders.

  • E. Enforce prohibition more strictly by seizing the opium from traders, including foreign traders, and destroying it.

  • H. Enforce prohibition more strictly by attacking the foreign ships loaded with opium.

  • J. Open drug rehabilitation clinics to help people to recover from addiction. Part of the rehabilitation would be self-help groups in which members hold each other accountable for staying off the drug.

  • Cutting off the supply makes it harder for Chinese to acquire drugs. Rehab clinics to help the population.

  • Seizing drugs from the people and traders removes drugs from peoples’ hands

Homework reading 2/24

“China Resists Foreign Influence Reading”

1. What seem to have been the most significant failures of the Qing Dynasty?  Why do you think they failed so badly?

• Widespread hunger: pop increased while food did not

• Opium addiction grew

• Taiping Rebellion gave poor people the opportunity to be rich/hope to be rich

2. How was the Boxer Rebellion an example of nationalism? 

• Rebellion was more poor ppl, wanted to remove the class boundaries and remove foreigners from power

• Had a common goal to remove foreigners, led to sense of unity

3. What made Sun Yat-sen’s ideas “modern”?

• Spoke for ppl and fought for democracy/Western ideas

• Coming out of a time of emperors, wanted people to have more control

• 3 principles: nationalism, democracy, “people’s livelihood”

• Called for an overthrow of the current govt system

4. How was the way China experienced imperialism different from the experience of African nations and India?  How was it similar? 

Notes 2/25

• Failures of Qing Dynasty

  • War with Great Brx: opium war

  • Euro imperialism in China: Spheres of influence

• Rebellions

  • Mid-1850s: Taiping Rebellion

  • 1900: Boxer Rebellion

  • 1911: Revolution Overthrows Qing Dynasty

Opium War

• Starting in late 1700s, Brx merchants began smuggling opium into China

• By 1835, 12 million Chinese addicted

• Qing Dyn protested, but Brx refused to stop selling opium

• 1839: Naval war broke out

  • Brx superior navy defeated China’s 

  • 2 humiliating peace treaties

    • Opium trade continued

    • Trade expanded further ports

    • Brx given island of Hong Kong (1840)

    • Europeans given “extraterritorial rights” - foreigners not subject to Chinese law

• 1842: Brx also took Nanjing and Shanghai

• Treaty of Nanjing - 

  • Hong Kong to Brx, 21 M in silver comp

  • Surrender over Brx citizens in china

  • No mention of opium or opium trade

Why do you think the emperors were never able to solve its opium addiction problem?

• Doesn’t directly hurt emperors themselves

• Did not have the addiction/quitting resources we have today

• Couldn’t figure out a way that would be successful and worth the time/money

• They should’ve started fixing the opium crisis before it got so out of hand

• Failure to modernize - get resources, etc that other countries alr had

Taiping Rebellion

• Mid-1800s: social problems within China and failure of the Qing dyn to resist Western powers led to people’s dissatisfaction with Qing dynasty

• In 1850s, there was a rebellion led by Hong Xiuquan

  • Wanted to create a heavenly society with no poverty

  • Followers formed taiping rebellion (great peace)

  • 1864- defeated by Qing, Brx and French troops

  • At least 20 million died in the rebellion

• Importance: showed declining power of the Qing

  • Couldn’t take down rebellion w/o help of other countries

European Imperialism in China

• How was it different from imperialism in Africa or India?

  • Sphere of influence - where Euros controlled trade, but did not have colonial/direct control

    • In comp, Africa/India directly colonized

  • Euros didn't directly take over territory, instead had “spheres of influence”

  • Spheres of influence = area within China where an outside country controlled trade

    • Britain, France, US, Germany, Japan, Russia

• What similarities/differences between imperialism in Africa/India and China?

  • Sim:

  • Diff:

• How do you think China’s economy would be impacted by foreigners having “spheres of influence”?

  • Create a reliance on foreign trade

    • China becomes less self-sufficient

  • Decrease in possible products for China

  • May force China to modernize to keep up with European speed of trade/efficiency

  • Domestic economy may decrease

  • China would lose control over some of its ports to foreign powers

Boxer Rebellion

• Anger at foreign economic domination (and Chinese economic dissatisfaction) leads to 1900 Boxer rebellion

• Seized Beijing for several months

• Chinese Christians were attacked 

  • For converting to the Western common religion instead of following traditional Chinese religion(s)

• Euro/Japanese armies put down the rebellion

• Importance: increased nationalist desire to 

  • Rid China of foreigners

  • Have govt more responsive to the population’s needs

1911 Revolution

• Chinese radicals called for overthrow of Qing dyn

• Sun Yat-sen most important radical leader

  • Nationalist = wanted unified china independent of foreign powers

  • Wanted democracy

  • Called for overthrow of Qing, wants China to be ruled by a nationalist political party

  • Doesn’t think China is ready for democracy immediately - needs to be ruled by a NPP before goes into democracy

  • General is ordered to put down the rebellion. Switches sides, aligns w/ rebels, becomes a military dictator, leaves power vacuum when he dies

• 1911: military officers revoked against Qing, declaring republic in 1912

• Peace talks led to resignation of Qing emperor, creation of “Republic of China”

  • Japan will become China’s biggest enemy soon after

• Would last until Communist takeover in 1949

Political Timeline:

2200 BCE→1911: Emperors

1911→1949: Republic of China - says it’s devoted to democracy

1949→Present: Communist party rules in China

Japan

Notes 2/28

• Japan modernizes

  • How did Japan escape imperialism and become a politically, economically, and militarily modern country in the 1880s?

• Which factor was the most important in Japan becoming a Modern nation: political: economic, or military modernization? Why?

  • In general, political, because it’s the base that everything else has to work off of.

  • Specifically, the military in Japan would need to be great - Japan is an island, so a strong Navy is important

Tokugawa Shogunate

• 1603-1867

• Japan’s emperor (above the shogun) was a figurehead, had no real power

• Japan ruled by military generals = shogun

  • Tokugawa clan ruled until 1603-1867

Japan Initially Similar to China

• Like China, Japan limited trade with Euros

• US used threat of force to open up trade

  • 1853, 1854 - Commodore Perry of the US Navy brought warships to Japan

  • Under threat, Japan allowed US access to 2 ports in 1854, 5 more in 1858

  • Like China, Japan had to agree to “extraterritoriality” - foreigners not subject to Japanese law

Meiji Restoration

• Many Japanese felt humiliated by terms imposed by US leads to the emperor (prev. only a figurehead) took control of Japan from the shogun in 1868

• Known as “Meiji Restoration” bc emperor took name “Meiji” = “enlightened rule”

• 1868-1912: Emperor Meiji ruled Japan

• Believed Japanese weakness was due to clinging to traditional ways

• Wanted to modernize Japan like the West

  • Govt officials sent to US/Euro to learn about western society

  • All children required to attend school, some studied abroad

    • Japan was mostly feudal - this increased education greatly

    • National public education system

• What reform will be most important for Japan becoming a modernized country, independent of Western viewers?

Meiji Reforms

• Political: feudalism ended, adopted Euro-style constitution

  • Established Meiji constitution in 1890-1947

  • Effectively made Japan a constitutional monarchy

    • Emperor had highest power

    • Shared power with a legislature

    • Judicial system was established

    • Established certain rights for people

• Economic: rapid industrialization

  • Japan adopted Western methods of industrialization

    • Built infrastructure (factories, roads, bridges)

    • National railway

    • National currency

  • Led to massive economic growth and industrialization

    • Between 1895-1915, factory production grew more in Japan than the US

  • No point in having an industrial economy unless you’re willing to trade - factories will make too much product for the domestic market

• Military: developed modern military based on European model

  • Had still been samurai (locally loyal)

  • Then needed national army

  • Based their navy off British

  • Modeled military on Britain’s and Prussia’s

    • Required 3 years of service from all men

  • 1870s- forced Korea to open ports to Japanese trade, even though Korea was allied with China

  • 1895 - invaded and defeated China in the First Sino-Japanese War

• Japan becomes major power

  • Victory against China led to Japan becoming the most powerful Asian country

    • Japan gained control of Taiwan from China

    • Was able to build factories in China

    • Western powers ended extraterritoriality

      • If they come to Japan, they are under Japanese law

  • 1905 - defeated Russia in Russo-Japanese War

    • Japan gained control of Russian railway lines in Manchuria (part of China)

    • Took control of two Russian ports in Manchuria

  • 1910 - Japan took over Korea as a colony

    • Japan ends up losing all of these territories after WW2

• Which factor was most important in becoming a modern nation: P/E/M?